Admiral Ackbar Voice Actor Has Passed Away

The Legendary Admiral Ackbar Voice Actor Will Be Missed

Erik Bauersfeld, the legendary Admiral Ackbar voice actor (the popular rebel commander in the Star Wars franchise) has unfortunately passed away. The actor’s management, Coolwaters Productions, said on Monday: “Actor Erik Bauersfeld, known by Star Wars fans around globe as the Admiral Ackbar voice actor, has passed away. His passing comes at the age of 93 and the cause was natural causes. Erik will be deeply missed by his family here at Coolwaters and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Bauersfeld worked as the Director of KPFA drama and literature department for 31 years. Besides lending his voice to the alien rebel commander, this actor also did some voice-over work in other films and video games, primarily in Star Wars-related games. He was working at Lucasfilm on a radio project when he was approached by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt, who asked him to read the role of Ackbar. According to the late actor, the voice appeared to him instantly upon seeing the creature’s photo. It took him just one hour to record most of his lines, including the legendary IT’S A TRAP! line that made Bauersfeld and his portrayal of Ackbar legendary and irreplaceable. He also read the lines of Jabba the Hutt’s sidekick Bib Fortuna, and wanted to lend his voice to the character of Yoda. However, this role ultimately went to Frank Oz.

About his famous line, Bauersfeld told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2011, “The fans who say they’ll never forget ‘It’s a trap!’ I don’t even remember how I said it. It’s not that I don’t like it or don’t respect it. I just don’t have time to be a fan and see it 10 times or 20 times.”

We don’t know yet whether Ackbar will appear in the future Star Wars movies, but we hope not, because who will be able to replace this legendary actor?

22 years old, MIlan Cukic is a student of the English language and literature. He is a fan of creative writing, a comic book enthusiast, and considers himself to be a Ultra Star Wars/Elder Scrolls nerd.